One of the good things about the conviction of Jerry Sandusky on almost all counts related to molesting 10 boys was that his lame personality disorder defense did not fly.
Histrionic personality disorder? Huh? That was the prevailing reaction when defense attorneys claimed that the former Penn State assistant football coach wrote those “creepy” letters because he suffers from histrionic personality disorder.
Several experts in personality disorders were quoted in news reports stating that even if Sandusky does have histrionic personality disorder, it would not be an excuse for the molestation.
Why not?
It’s quite simple: Most people with personality disorders are not delusional. Those with antisocial, borderline, narcissistic and yes, histrionic personality disorders are not “hearing voices” or out of touch with reality. (By the way, the American Psychiatric Association is in the process of revising its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Histrionic personality disorder isn’t even included in the new version.)
Over and over, Lovefraud readers tell me about outrageous deceit, manipulation and conscienceless behavior in their own interactions with personality-disordered individuals. Here is the common denominator: Sociopaths know exactly what they are doing. They just feel entitled to do what they want, and do not care who gets hurt in the process.
I was worried about the introduction of “personality disorder” as a defense in a criminal trial. Because it was permitted in the Sandusky case, would it open the door for all the defense attorneys in the country to blame their clients’ crimes on personality disorders? This would be a serious problem, because researchers estimate that 47 percent of male and 21 percent of female prison inmates have antisocial personality disorder.
For the most part, people with personality disorders are quite capable of making choices about their behavior. They know the difference between right and wrong, although they may have no emotional investment in doing what is right. They can follow society’s rules and laws when it suits their purpose.
Jerry Sandusky was convicted. I hope this continues to mean that when these disordered people commit crimes, they won’t be able to get off by claiming the psychological equivalent of, “the devil made me do it.”
Donna….thank you for this article and the affirmation and validation that “personality disorder” was shot out of Sandspathsky’s “defense.” THIS GIVES ME HOPE!!!
It is my fervent hope that the Court will see beyond my victimization and recognize that the victimization would have been perpetrated to ANYone who had money. Family Court doesn’t rule on punitive damages, and this is a crying shame, but all of the exspath’s behaviors, choices, and frauds will hopefully factor into the final Order.
Yes…..personality disorders are simply no excuse. They are not organic (except, perhaps, in terms of genome), they cannot be treated with any known medicaiton or therapy, and I have never read of one person being “cured” or even “managed” who was diagnosed/assessed with a personality disorder. Not ever.
Thanks, again, Donna. Right now, I need some glimmer of hope and this was helpful to me, this morning.
“Creepy letters,” indeed. The more that I considered this, the more that I can identify how spaths use WORDS and twist them to their own designs. And, it’s deliberate, intentional, and done with malice.
There isn’t a punishment fit enough for Sandspathsky and creatures of his ilk. There just isn’t. No amount of money, no amount of “time served,” and no amount of hard labor (HAH!) would redress these heinous crimes.
Donna: HAHAHAHA: “Histrionic Personality Disorder”. Wow: that’s a great way to escape responsibility; isn’t it?
I am happy it didn’t fly in court as well, because that would have been THE PERFECT EXCUSE FOR THE DEMONS.
In fact, my ‘ex demon’, would always say, with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his face: “It doesn’t matter what I do or don’t do because I am sick and not in control of myself. I can get away with almost anything I want. Who is going to do anything about it, hm? Do you think YOU can? Not even the law can do anything about what I do because I am sick, so you just tell anybody whatever you want. They won’t believe you because you are crazy and in counseling yourself; hm?”
Well, this took away that defense for the wickedness; didn’t it? Yah, like ‘histrionic stalking’? How about ‘histrionic threatening’? Pffffft!!!!! Whoever the Judge was that disallowed his ‘histrionic defense’ woke up on the right side of the bed with his head on straight.
Even when these beings are held accountable and are forced into treatment, they only say and act and do that which is only enough to get them off the hook and then they go right back to being the way they were before.
CREEPS like this need to be taken out of general society. If they are claiming to be ‘sick’, then, they should be forced into some kind of treatment. Not just for a 12 week anger management class either….sending a psychopath to a 12 week anger management class is like sending a 12 year old to California Adventure with a hundred bucks in his pocket. Or like going to a coffee and donut social. Please!!!!
I consider emotional havoc just as equally as damaging as physical violence and abuse. It’s an assault just as any other. It damages the victim and permanent damage can take place. Spaths/Ppaths consider themselves above the law and scoff at the laws attempts to control them because the laws are inadequate to protect us from this type of assault.
Yes, Donna: thank you for this little inspiration.
You have helped put a certain kind of ‘spin’ to my day, having this small victory to cling to…
Dupey
Actually, the judge allowed Sandusky’s defense lawyer to bring in the expert who said he did it all because of his personality disorder.
It was the JURY that didn’t buy the BS. I hope that means future defense lawyers won’t try the “personality disorder” defense.
The letters were so manipulative – and he quotes the Bible as well.
What’s with talking about himself in the third person? Is that indicative of anything? Is that self-adoration or some kind of disconnect? Does anybody know?
I also saw the letters as manipulative, and I “liked” the Bible quote as well….I wonder if he was having problems with the boy at the time and thought the boy was going to “tell”
The letters to me really were almost “word salad”—really saying NOTHING that made any sense. CREEPY? Yes, because they danced around with emotional words but never actually “said” anything.
Manipulative? An attempt I think.
Donna: I completely agree with you.
The JURY not allowing it is even better still.
Thanks for telling me! I haven’t followed most of the story.
Oh yes, defense attorneys across the country are probably very busy with the phones these days, I would imagine,
From spaths/ppaths across the country, calling, trying to buy into the defense tag.
May the good graces be with us all.
Dupey
In the creepy letters, it’s all about “Jer” (the way Jerry Sandusky signed his letters and referred to himself). It’s apparent that Jer sucked the life out of this boy (that’s what psychopaths do) – Jer could pick up on this fact, but he failed to recognize that he was the CAUSE of this boy’s brokenness (and that he needed to leave the kid alone, pronto). I feel badly for the boy – he didn’t need this guy writing these crazy letters to him, probably stalking him. In one of the last letters, Jer describes himself – “You are able to bounce from person to person, object to object. You seek happiness through control, domination and what satisfies the moment.” What Jer attributes as being qualities that the boy has, they are in fact, part of Jer’s own make-up, personality defects that Jer displays. Jer is a twisted human being. May God help his victims recover, feeling so badly for them – their innocence being stolen from them.
In any letters that our spath wrote (when he was in jail and then out of jail) to us (either to myself or my kids), he put on the pity ploy, telling us what He wanted to happen (directing us – letting us know what we could do for him), ALL of the letters being about him too, never once recognizing or acknowledging the crap (the emotional devastation) that he put us through. Psychopaths are extreemly selfish, self-centered, never seeing things from the other person’s perspective. The world revolves around them, their EGO needing to be fed.
Bluejay! Good to “see” you, too!!!!! What is this? LoveFraud Old Home Night?!?! WONDERFUL!!!!!
Truthspeak,
Hello, I hope that things are working out for you. I just read my post – I come across as so hard (I apologize). I have my moments where I am ticked – having compassion for other victims (especially children). When I read Jer’s letters, it struck me how they all revolved around Jer, never really relating to the poor boy. I could “see” the similarities between letters that my family received (in the past) from the spath and Jer’s letters, pretty much all of them being about the spath.